…done with Warsaw

As my train made its way into the Polish capital, I spoke to the pair of locals in my cabin to make sure I was going to the right station. After confirming I was almost there, we talked about the city itself and both told me they hated it and both were going because of commitments there rather than for real pleasure.

Stepping out of the station, once I got past the niceness of the Palace of Culture, I warsaw exactly what they warmeant. After heavy bombing in WWII, Warsaw had to be almost completely rebuilt meaning it had none of the charm of Gdansk and all the worst of western cities. Tower blocks rose in every direction I turned, each with a Western brand garishly emblazoned upon its tip. Advertising was rife, at one pedestrian crossing there was a large video screen directly across the road at eye level, meaning I had ads forced into my eyes if I dared to so much look across the road I was about to cross.

If it had been my first stop in Poland I’m sure I would’ve found some nice touches, but anything slightly positive was either the same or a pale imitation of something I’d seen up north, so skipping through after a few days was all that I needed. That and there were so many more tourists here it was hard to even see the rubbish attractions.

There were some places that were nice, the parks of course, and I had wanted to go to the former Gestapo headquarters, now a harrowing museum, but, unlike anyone else who has turned up at that building in its history, I was disappointed to find the doors locked.

If nothing else, it broke up a long train journey from north to south, but if I ever return to Poland I doubt it’ll be to spend time in the capital; I warsaw everything I needed to already.

Filed under: europe, poland, warsaw